Club Monaco, is that you? Label gets racy new image with campaign shot by Terry Richardson

Club Monaco, is that you Label gets racy new image with campaign shot by Terry Richardson

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UPDATED:

15:53 GMT, 24 July 2012

Club Monaco, the retail store known for offering unambitious basics to shoppers who find Banana Republic too risky, appears to be getting an image overhaul.

Provocative fashion photographer Terry Richardson has shoot the usually wholesome and clean brand's latest campaign, giving it a new, raw and edgy aesthetic.

Featuring the quirky and cool model Anouck Lepere clad in PVC coats, cut-out little black dresses, and off-the shoulder cashmere with hardware detailing, it seems Club Monaco hopes to toughen up its soft and dignified aesthetic.

New look: The provocative fashion photographer Terry Richardson has shoot the usually wholesome and clean brand's latest campaign, with model Anouck Lepere, giving it a raw and edgy aesthetic

With 14 deliveries a year, Club Monaco doesn’t map out its collections season to season but rather month to month, making it is easy for the brand to swing its fashion pendulum from soft breezes and California beaches, to a little bit sexy with one click of a shutter.

Known for its nautical-themed sweaters, professorial cardigans with counterintuitive-but-cute small pockets, a constant stash of deeply discounted cashmere and lightweight, virginal cotton dresses, the basics brand has been trying to set up its fashion game for some time.

Soft and breezy: An ethereal Sasha Pivovarova featured in Club Monaco's previous spring 2012 ad campaign

As of 2009, its revolution was supposed to be in men's suiting. The brand, now a subsidiary of Polo Ralph Lauren, brought in Timothy Farah, who worked on the Thom Browne Black Fleece line, and was tasked with updating Club Monaco’s men’s wear.

King of controversy: Photographer Terry Richardson gives Club Monaco an image overhaul

Tommy Ton, the street style photographer behind the big-time blog Jak & Jil, celebrated his collaboration with Club Monaco earlier this year, which featured well-priced bags for the downtown cool kids of Manhattan.

Now, the 46-year-old photographer, who has become known for his glossed-up, Seventies porn-chic images which have become synonymous with high fashion in magazine like French Vogue, seems to be having a go at shaking up the brand's austere, but tired image.

Club Monaco was founded 25 years ago in Canada and quickly began encroaching on the American market, offering basics with a Continental edge.

Since its inception, it has kept an air of dignity and austerity compared with Gap’s often-limp fabrics and Banana Republic’s grown-up clutter; and of the major chains, it has regularly done the job of being utilitarian but not too dull, casual but not overly cool.

In contrast, over the past 25 years Mr Richardson has been hired by Gucci, Miu Miu, Jimmy Choo and Yves Saint Laurent; his work exploring overt sexuality with and many of the images featured in his books Kibosh and Terryworld depicting full-frontal nudity; and has been accused multiple times of sexual exploitation of young models.

The company wrote yesterday on its Facebook page: 'Working with iconic photographer Terry Richardson was an inspirational moment for us.'

One Facebook commenter responded: 'I'm disappointed you would work with a photographer who has on several occasions used his immense power within the world of fashion to take advantage of young, vulnerable models… I am deeply disappointed in your choice for this campaign and I no longer can look at Club Monaco without thinking of how you obviously have no care for the ethics of your collaborators.'